A proposed breed discriminatory bylaw in Mashpee, Massachusetts, calls for the destruction of newborn puppies...

A New Witch Hunt in Massachusetts

The City of Mashpee will hear an alarming breed discriminatory bylaw at its Annual Town Meeting on October 19, 2009.

This disturbing bylaw includes claims that certain breeds have “a strong instinct for dominance” and a prey drive that results in “aggressive pursuit of . . . human children”. These statements made in Section 1 of the proposed bylaw are reckless and entirely unfounded. Even more appalling is subparagraph (i) under Section 4 of the proposed bylaw. It reads:

“In the event [a pit bull type dog has] a litter, the owner or keeper (i) must deliver the puppies to the Town Kennel for destruction. . . . Any pit bull puppies kept contrary to the provisions of this subsection are subject to immediate impoundment and disposal. . . .”.

Best Friends Animal Society feels compelled to emphasize that the aim of this bylaw is to hunt down all dogs that have the appearance of a certain breed of dog and destroy any offspring. This bylaw is a representation of misinformed policy-makers and public making panic-induced decisions without consideration of civil liberties and reason. It takes on a school of thought similar to the witch hunts that took place in Massachusetts over three hundred years ago whereby paranoia and panic is taking over logic and reason. These assertions and recommendations are counterproductive to ensuring the safety of town residents and are wholly unsupported by any scientific evidence.

Request More Effective LegislationBest Friends opposes canine profiling as it does not reduce dog bite incidents nor effectively manage dangerous dogs. Rather than breed-discriminatory restrictions, legislators should mirror good generic dangerous dog/reckless owner laws that have been enacted in Illinois and Minnesota.

1. Provide your name and address Legislators want to know that you are one of the people they represent.

2. Ask for specific action Ask members to oppose any ordinance that bans or regulates a specific breed of dog.

3. Give reasons and examples• Chose from the list below or share your own. Remember to be always be respectful and avoid being emotional. This is your chance to educate someone about truly effective ways to manage dangerous dogs.

• It is often difficult for even experts to determine the breed of a dog-particularly with mixed breed dogs. Click here to find the pit bulls on the web. Many dogs are misidentified and confiscated simply for their appearance.

• Breed-discriminatory laws compromise public safety by requiring officers to enforce regulation on dogs that may or may not be dangerous instead of investing resources into proven, effective tactics that make the community safer.

• A dog is an individual with its own personality. It should be judged on its temperament and not its appearance.

Studies of pre and post breed ban dog-bite-rates in the United Kingdom and Spain concluded that their pit bull breed ban had no effect whatsoever on reducing dog bites.

Italy recently revoked its breed ban stating the ban had no scientific justification.

Calgary, Canada has lowest dog bite rates in 25 years, without enacting BDL.

MASHPEE — There was a collective sigh of relief among dog owners at Mashpee High School last night after residents resoundingly voted down a proposed pit bull bylaw at the annual fall town meeting.

The proposed bylaw would have prohibited residents from owning more than one of the dogs, would have made it mandatory that the dogs be spayed or neutered, forced owners to get expensive liability insurance, and placed the responsibility on the owners of mixed breeds to prove that their dog is not a pit bull through DNA testing, among other restrictions.

The article was placed on the warrant by petition and lacked the support of the finance committee and selectmen.

In the end, it was defeated by a deafening voice vote after 239 registered voters sped through budget adjustments and changes to the town's zoning code.

Those against the bylaw turned out in force, far outnumbering those who were for it, with some nonresidents coming from as far as Plymouth to speak to the merits of the dogs.

"I'm very happy," Mashpee resident Michelle Storm said after the vote, as dog lovers petted her 3-year-old female pit bull and service dog Bugsy. "This is a big relief off of my chest. We have another (pit bull) and I medically need (Bugsy). I don't know what I would do if one of them was taken away."

The warrant article made waves in recent weeks as residents and animal activists challenged the legality and restrictiveness of the proposed bylaw's language.

The article was added by petition after Ashumet Road residents Carmen and Melissa Shay, who have two young girls, tried unsuccessfully to prevent a neighbor from moving next door with six of the dogs.

The proposal, which was modeled after a bylaw already in place in Canton, gave animal control officers the power to impound and even euthanize dogs whose owners were not in compliance or suspected of not being in compliance.

The Canton bylaw has yet to be challenged in court.

"We did what we thought was best for our family," Melissa Shay said after the vote, adding that her house is now for sale. "I'm done. My girls are safe."

Never make someone a priority in your life when that someone treats you like an option.